Animal rights extremists told TV presenter Adam Henson they were going to "burn" his children, after he investigated the bovine tuberculosis and badger cull issue.

The threat, and other hate mail, were revealed by the Countryfile presenter when he spoke to 185 West country farmers and agricultural professionals at a conference in Cornwall.

"There are some very nasty extremists about," he warned as he answered questions from the audience. "I have had some serious hate letters from them – things like 'we are going to burn your children'."

It had been extremely unfair he said, as he had worked to BBC guidelines to the letter when presenting the programme.

Mr Henson, who farms at Bemborough Farm, in Guiting Power, Gloucestershire, explained: "These guide lines are very strict. So you will never hear me saying we should be culling badgers.

"My hands are completely tied on the issue. I cannot campaign for anything at all, simply report what is said on both sides.

"But this is a hugely emotive subject and we have to realise that there are extremists on both sides of the argument."

He said conservation groups and farmers were "at war" with each other – which was a very great shame, when they should have been working together to solve the problem.

"Badgers are fantastic animals to watch and can be a great asset, and there should be middle ground between farming and conservationists on tackling the bovine TB problem."

The media would "fan the flames" of controversy once a badger cull was announced, but farming had considerable public support and a good image at the moment, and should capitalise on that, he added.

Following lengthy consultation and a proposed scheme to cull 70 per cent of all badgers in disease hot-spot areas, three of them likely to be in the south west, detailed plans are expected to be announced by the Government within the next few weeks.

Mel Squires, regional director of the National Farmers' Union in the South West, told the conference at St Mellion golf club in Cornwall that Farming Minister Jim Paice had been held to account at last year's Devon County Show, nearly a year ago, to take positive action to stop the spread of bovine TB, which caused the death of 38,000 cattle last year.

"We are still awaiting an announcement," she said.

"Behind the scenes we know the pressure is really on the Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman, and the Farming Minister. Now we are expecting the Government to take some really brave steps. They have said they are going to support us. If they don't they are going to leave the cattle industry in real distress," added Mrs Squires.

"It's very difficult and incredibly complex, but Jim Paice has been a great support and an advocate for farmers."

But Mrs Squires urged her audience to contact their MPs and keep up the pressure for a solution to the TB scourge.

"It's not just all about badgers," she insisted. "We should make this clear – and we should definitely go on lobbying MPs, because some of them think everything is going swimmingly and they needn't be involved."

With a badger cull ordered by the Welsh Assembly, the Badger Trust has been swift to distance itself from threats by the Animal Liberation Front that it will tear down farmers' fences and damage agricultural buildings.

It said: "The Badger Trust dissociates itself from any proposals to use force or intimidation towards anyone carrying out trapping, shooting or any other procedures that may be officially approved."